Today Geek is Chic. In fact Mark Zukerberg‘s wedding got the Paparazzi as excited as Lady Gaga’s latest world tour. In our day and age it seems as though there’s been a paradigm shift. Techies now draw the same attention as Hollywood celebs. Ironically, unlike many “reality stars,” techies are famous for actually doing (or creating) something.

Take Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his lady Priscilla Chan Zuckerberg (we wrote about their Facebook wedding a few weeks ago); after getting married in Europe, gossip tabloids went crazy over the couple. Despite all the secrecy, the couple was caught by the Paparazzi in Italy aboard an expensive boat. There were also pictures of the couple walking through the ancient streets of Italy, published throughout Celeb type magazines, much as if the duo are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Remember the can of beans Paris Hilton ate from in jail, that later sold for $300 on eBay? Zukerberg’s dinner receipt reportedly sold for much more. Henceforth, the admiring public knows that the Zuckerberg’s ate artichoke ravioli with tea at Nonna Betta in Rome.

Today technology stories are just as popular as Hollywood stories. The Silicon Valley crowd is definitely being watched and some social psychologists suggest that’s because they are better examples of ordinary people who became rich and famous by doing something extraordinary. It is easier to figure out why they’re famous than the latest Hollywood dreamboat. Interestingly, they aren’t dashingly beautiful people; they can be rather ‘ordinary,’ and therefore, perhaps more relatable. Their story gives the public the vicarious experience of becoming suddenly rich and famous. Technology has opened that door to ANYONE innovative and determined enough to become “one of them.” Even a 17 years old.

Geek is chic. That’s why technology blogs are sexy – and they don’t address just the subject of technology. They also include gossip about Bill Gates, Michael Arrington and Steve Jobs. Traditional publications, like People and Vanity Fair, often profile such tech mavens (and their eccentricities) to the mainstream.

So what makes tech guys like Mark Zuckerberg so interesting? Well for one thing, his billions exceed those of Oprah Winfrey. But more interestingly, it’s that Zuckerberg is so concealed. I’ve watched the Facebook movie, yet Zuckerberg’s character remains a mystery –it’s that mystery that’s become part of his mystique.

Last week, Facebook CEO married his long time girlfriend –but everyone knows that already. The curious timing is that he married her after becoming a billionaire 19 times over. Adding another curious fact is that the wedding was a backyard ceremony attended only by 100 or so of Zuckerberg’s friends. Those close to the couple say that they’ve been together for a decade and there’s no reason to doubt that this marriage will work out. Chan, who just graduated from Medical school, is regarded as a genius, much like her husband.

The couple dated throughout the development of Facebook, which means she is no bimbo. In fact, before she agreed to move in with him she knew how to negotiate a “relationship contract” to protect her interests (Chan allegedly had Zuckerberg sign a relationship contract years ago, which called for, amongst other things: one date per week, a minimum of a hundred minutes of alone time, not at the apartment and definitely not at Facebook).

Was there a prenuptial agreement? Sources say yes, which some say was rather detailed. Though generally the law says that everything owned or acquired by a couple during a marriage is split into two, in case of a divorce. Some point out that the two are too much in love to ever think of divorce –after all, they’ve been through their first “baby”: Facebook.

Some say, however, that the timing of the wedding is strange; mostly because he took his company public a day before his wedding (read about the Facebook IPO). Under California Law, whatever Zuckerberg earned before his wedding is solely his. Thus, he solely holds $17-19 billion; however, the law is rather murky about the profits and assets gained during the marriage.

For instance, if his company grows after going public, the grey area will be how much is due Priscilla should they divorce, or if anything is due her at all from the company going public a day before they were married. The subject has been a favorite debate, though rather nasty, of some property divorce lawyers. Some say that any proceeds/profits acquired by Zuckerberg’s company after the marriage means 50% for Priscilla; other lawyers say that any money coming from Facebook prior to the marriage is his sole property.

Some have speculated that Priscilla may have substantial Facebook shares though this has not been confirmed or denied. As lawyers debate all this, what becomes obvious is that these two people love each other.

Well, not exactly, but sort of! Gather a group of hot Facebook inspired computer geeks, add a little computer crash drama in the scene, follow them with a camera and hello Hollywood!

This Bravo Network show, co-produced by Randi Zuckerberg, former marketing director for Facebook, is intended to showcase the glamour life of tech start-up founders. Geek is in!

Does the Zuckerberg last name sounds familiar (it should –Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook)? The new reality TV series is co-produced by Mark Zuckerberg’s sister, Randi.

Does L.A really have to take over the Bay Area? I mean, are these Silicon Valley entrepreneurs as socially exciting as “The Social Network” portrayed: girls, parties, highly exclusive Harvard Social Circles? I guess we’ll find out.

Most non-techies would assume that these computer wizards spend a majority of their time sitting in font of computers writing code. Will this line of entertainment sell? Viewers want drama right? I think most can agree, at least those die hard Housewives of New Jersey fans, that it may take a bit of written creativity to get this show pumping. Then again, who said a tech genius can’t be out of control entertaining and successful (blush)?

Randi Zuckerberg’s mission within this debut is to “make accessable and humanize the increasingly important tech community for the average consumer.” It’s a pretty good idea; considering everything hinges on tech these days.

]]>http://www.shebytes.com/2012/05/07/silicon-valley-meets-reality-tv/feed/0Why Spotify Has Transformed the Way I Listen to Musichttp://www.shebytes.com/2011/12/27/why-spotify-has-transformed-the-way-i-listen-to-music/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-spotify-has-transformed-the-way-i-listen-to-music
http://www.shebytes.com/2011/12/27/why-spotify-has-transformed-the-way-i-listen-to-music/#commentsTue, 27 Dec 2011 09:00:03 +0000http://www.shebytes.com/?p=6296

In one short week, Spotify has forever altered the way I listen to music on my computer.

For those of you who don’t know me personally, I LOVE music!

Now that was a gross understatement. I play guitar, bass guitar and I have a growing CD and Vinyl music collection (I just love physically owning the music I like). I listen to everything from Run-DMC to The Brian Jonestown Massacre. I like all genres; Jazz, Hip-Hop, Classic Rock, Indie, R&B, Alternative, Soul, Punk, Funk and well yeah, you get the idea.

If you haven’t heard of Spotify yet, allow me to give you a quick run through of what the company and service are all about: Spotify is essentially a free music streaming service that gives users access to a vast library of 15 million songs. Founded in 2006, it recently saw a huge influx in users.

Check it out for yourself and sign up for Spotify through Facebook here.

According to Wikipedia, Spotify has made “a Facebook account…mandatory for all new users since 22 September 2011”. This move clearly has huge implications for where the UK based company is headed.

Unlike other music services out there, like Pandora and Apple’s iTunes, Spotify is unique in its approach of harnessing social media as a music sharing tool.

The picture above sums up Spotify and their bold yet elegant mission of creating a world where “Music is Social” (don’t mess with the Swedes), better than any words I could dream up.

Sean Parker (@sparker), who is both and investor and board member of Spotify, is famous from his days with Napster (for those of you who haven’t seen the hilarious parody of him played by Sean Green (the ‘real Napster’), in The Italian Job, click here). He has facilitated the partnership between Facebook and Spotify, enabling automatic music sharing, via Facebook’s status updates.

Much to my girlfriend’s chagrin, according to these status updates, since downloading Spotify a couple of days ago (it pulled me through finals week), I have reportedly listened to 151 songs on Spotify as of last night.

The reason I personally love Spotify so much is because of what it offers. First of all, with Spotify I have noticed that buffering is nonexistent. You click on the song and it begins to play. This is undoubtedly hinged to the cloud based model the company subscribes to, but is central to the image consumers get from Spotify. Precisely because there is absolutely no lag between the time you press play and the start of the song, Spotify has been able to make it seem as if the songs are right there, in your personal music library; a perception central to the service’s success.

Secondly, although this may seem an obvious point, Spotify has already exposed me to a wide array of songs and artists that I traditionally would never have listened to. The company’s ‘Playlist’ function, where you can listen to playlists made by other Spotify-ers, allows you to stumble across new music and then immediately share it with your friends.

Last but certainly not least is the product’s overall seamless integration and ease of use. It integrates wonderfully with Facebook and Twitter, really making music a social experience. Additionally, navigating your way through the features is quick and intuitive.

I’m especially excited about Spotify and I highly recommend you give it a shot for yourself!